Make A Move
by Vegetas-Princess
Summary: When Kenshin Himura meets Kaoru Kamiya, it's love at first sight. The only problem? She's his best friend's ex, and a single mother to boot. Things are NOT looking up for our rurouni. AU KK, some mention of SK
1. When Kenshin met Kaoru

Kaoru Kamiya sat on the park bench, watching intently as two small girls chased each other around the monkey bars, screaming and giggling the entire time.

"Ayame! Suzume! Be careful not to fall, we don't want your clothes getting dirty, now do we?"

The two brown haired girls flashed her a grin before promptly ignoring her and continuing their run.

"I don't think I'll ever understand where those kids get their energy from…" She muttered softly before turning her attention back to the newspaper in her hands.

"I had a friend tell me once that they suck it right out of all the adults around them." A voice from beside her spoke, sending her head darting up toward its owner. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name's Kenshin Himura."

"Kaoru Kamiya." She replied softly as she extended a hand to the man in front of her.

And what a man he was. Bright violet eyes, a gentle smile, and a shock of long red hair, pulled back in a pony tail.

"Is this seat taken?"

Kaoru gestured to the space beside her with a smile, "Please, sit."

He didn't have to be asked twice.

Of course, he had never really thought his plan through completely. He had planned it out up to the part where he introduced himself.

That was about it.

And of course, his mind decided that right that moment was a good time to take a little vacation. He couldn't for the life of him think of anything else to say. _'Think Himura! Think! You've got a beautiful girl sitting right here beside you, willing to have a conversation with you! Think of something! Say **something!**'_

"So, do you come here often?" As soon as the words left his mouth he realized what a completely stupid thing it was to say. It was all he could do to keep from smacking himself. _'This is harder that it looks.'_

Not that Kenshin had any problems when it came to women. He had wooed his share. It was one thing to flirt with a girl at a bar, however. It was entirely different to attempt to pick up someone at a park full of people.

She seemed to take it in stride, however, and gave a slight laugh. "Every Friday, and you?"

"Nope, can't say I do. I'm actually supposed to be meeting someone here. He's late though, not that that's a big surprise…" He let his voice trail off. He was fairly certain that she didn't care about how late Sanosuke was.

"Same here. The meeting someone part, that is… not the being late part…what I mean is, I'm supposed to be meeting someone, but I'm never late." It was then that Kaoru realized she was rambling and felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks. _'Kami, has it really been so long since I've dated that I can't even remember how to form logical sentences?'_

Kenshin took note of the slight coloring of her face, and couldn't help but smile. "Too cute."

It wasn't until he noticed her staring at him that he realized he had voiced the thoughts aloud.

"Erm.. heh.." Was all he could manage to squeak out around the lump that had seemingly formed in his throat. _'Smooth, Himura, real smooth.'_

She noticed his embarrassment over the matter, and gave a good natured smile. "So, Kenshin Himura, would you like to go out for coffee sometime?"

It was all the redheaded man could do not to jump up and squeal. "Sounds like a plan. And thank you for asking, by the way."

"No worries." She replied as she tore a corner off of her newspaper and wrote her phone number on it.

He took the paper gratefully and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans. "No, I mean really, thank you for asking. I've been trying to come up with the courage to ask that since I saw you."

She laughed again. "Where exactly did you come from? I didn't even notice you standing there until you spoke."

This time it was his turn to blush. He lifted a hand and pointed across the park to another bench.

"Ah.." Was the only reply she could come up with. She opened her mouth up to say something else, however, but a voice from behind stopped her.

"Wow, small world. I didn't realize you two knew each other."

Both heads whipped around then.

"Hey, Sano. You're late." Kenshin began, before something dawned on him. _'You two? Does he know Kaoru?'_

"Yes, you are late. Not that I'm shocked anymore. Though I have to admit, I didn't realize we were waiting on the same person." Kaoru added, her smile still on her face as she gestured to Kenshin.

"Yeah, well, I'm lazy. But you knew that, though. I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone." The taller man replied.

Kaoru nodded that she understood.

"So, how do you two…." Kenshin began, but was abruptly cut off as two little girls practically shoved him out of the way.

"Daddy!"

It wasn't until the girls launched themselves into his coworker's arms that Kenshin figured out that they were talking to Sanosuke.

"Ayame! Suzume! How are my angels?" He asked with a smile as bent down to pick them up.

"We've been good, daddy! Did you bring us a present?" The older of the two asked, her eyes shining brightly.

"Yah, a pwesent!" The other girl added just as happily as her sister had.

Kenshin merely blinked.

"Ah, not yet, not yet. But we'll go shopping before I take you home and then you can pick out what you want." He shifted the girls a bit in his arms before turning to the dark haired woman again. "Jeez, Kaoru what have you been feeding these kids? Ayame weighs a ton!"

The woman in question cocked an eyebrow at the man. "Well, they're growing up, Sano. What did you expect? Anyway, I hate to run off on you so quickly, but I'm late for my doctor's appointment. You girls be good, now."

Kenshin just kept blinking.

"We will, mommy! See you later!" Ayame spoke again before going back to poking at Sanosuke's hair.

"Yeah, see you waiter mommy!"

And then it suddenly clicked into place.

Kenshin's head swiveled back and forth rapidly between Kaoru and Sanosuke. _'Mommy and Daddy? Mommy and Daddy? Dear Kami please tell me I wasn't hitting on Sanosuke's girl. Please Kami..'_

"They're always good, aren't you girls?" The girls in question merely nodded in reply. Kaoru simply laughed.

"Right, you keep telling yourself that, then." She gave her girls a quick hug and placed a quick peck on Sano's cheek before turning back to Kenshin. "I'm really sorry to run off on you, but I'm running late thanks to lunk-head over there. You take care and don't forget to call me!" With that she turned on her heel and took off jogging across the park toward the parking lot.

"Call her, huh?"

Kenshin swallowed. This couldn't end well. There was no possible outcome for this that wouldn't involve pain, of that he was sure.

He merely nodded.

"Better do that, then. Missy's got a way about her. She's one of the best girls out there though."

He blinked again. Whatever it was that he had been expecting, it most definitely hadn't been this.

Sanosuke must have noticed his confusion because he gave an all out laugh. "I'm assuming that you have absolutely no idea what's going on right now, huh?"

"Not a clue.." The redhead murmured quietly, his confusion evident.

"Why don't you girls go play for a few more minutes while I talk to Uncle Ken, ok?" He asked as he set them back to the ground.

They never replied, just simply ran back to the monkey bars to resume their game of tag.

"I really had no idea, Sano, or I wouldn't have.."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Kaoru and I have been over for three years now. Ayame is just a great thing that came out of a good situation."

"I don't mean to pry, but the other one, Suzume, wasn't it? There's no way that she's old enough to have come from anything three years ago. She doesn't look much older than two.."

"Two and a half. People don't have to be dating to sleep together, do they?" Sano replied, before realizing how it sounded and backtracking. "Perhaps I should tell you the whole story then?"

Kenshin nodded again. He seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"Kaoru and I started dating in high school. We were sixteen years old and hell, it seemed like a good thing to do at the time, so we slept together. A lot, actually, but that's beside the point. Kaoru ended up pregnant when we were seventeen. Naturally, being the kind of guy that I am, I proposed, she accepted, and we were engaged."

"So you were married, then?"

"Nope, never made it that far. I got stupid, screwed around because I thought it was a good idea at the time, and fucked up what we had going for us. Kaoru found out, dumped me flat on my ass, and didn't look back."

"Oh.. sorry…" What else could someone say to a story like that?

"Ha, it gets better. Anyway, Ayame was born not long after that, and I moved back in to give her a hand. We never admitted that it was a relationship, but looking back I guess it kind of was. We lived together, ate together, and raised our daughter together, but I had already fucked up pretty much any shot I had at that point. Missy's that kind of girl. She's got her pride, and she values it a lot. I hurt her pride and lost my shot, that's all there was to it."

Again, what in seven hells was the appropriate thing to _say_ in a situation such as this one?

"Anyway, one night when Ayame was two we lost control of ourselves and ended up in her bedroom. I'm assuming I don't have to elaborate as to the details?"

"No, no, I think I can figure it out." This was all way too weird for poor Kenshin. He really wasn't sure exactly how much more his poor brain could stand.

"And of course, as anyone who has ever seen me gamble can tell you, I have the worst luck in the world. One night together, and in return I got Suzume. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Anyway, so being the kind of guy I am, I proposed."

"Again?"

"Again. This time though, I proposed, she declined, and I got pissed. I moved out, she got custody, and we went on about our lives. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot I could do about the situation. It was my fault, after all, so I hoisted up my little white flag and called a truce."

"So do you still get along? Or…"

"Oh no, Missy's my best friend. It's weird how it worked out, I know. But she's got this sort of gravity to her. Once you know her, it's impossible to stay away. Plus, she's still the mother of my kids. And she could kick my ass any day of the week, so it seems to be in my own best interest to remain friendly, no?"

"It didn't bother you that she told me to call her? I'm generally known as a pretty understanding guy, but even I'm not sure that one would have gone over too well with me."

"Like I said, it's complicated, but I fucked up my shot a long time ago. Far be it for me to fuck it up for someone else. Besides, you're a good guy, from what I know of you at least, and she deserves to be happy."

"I like to think I'm a good guy.." Kenshin began, but let his voice trail off. Was he really having this conversation?

"You'd damn well better be." Was the only reply he received.

Kenshin didn't even have to turn toward the man to know that the smile was missing from his face.

"Because if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Kenshin Himura merely nodded in reply.

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Anyway, I hope you guys like it! And please don't fret, I promise this is a K/K story. This is just something that popped into my head suddenly while listening to Offspring's "Hit that." Granted, it's not really based on the song, but it popped into my head regardless. Anyway, if you liked it, be sure to let me know.  Til next time!

Vegetas-Princess


	2. Of pink pants and boy shorts

Hiya! I'm glad to see that you guys are enjoying it so far! I'll try not to disappoint you this time around. :) I actually got a request to do a Sano/Kaoru side story for this, so I might look into that as well. Tell me what you think, ok?

Disclaimer: It just dawned on me that I didn't include this with the first chapter, so I'll put it in here. I don't own it. I never did. I never will. Period. Thanks for asking. : )

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Previously:

"_I like to think I'm a good guy.." Kenshin began, but let his voice trail off. Was he really having this conversation?_

"_You'd damn well better be." Was the only reply he received._

_Kenshin didn't even have to turn toward the man to know that the smile was missing from his face._

"_Because if you hurt her, I'll kill you."_

_For what felt like the millionth time that day, Kenshin Himura merely nodded in reply._

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If Kenshin had known Sanosuke Sagara for any longer than he had, he would have easily been able to figure out exactly what it was that was running through the other man's mind.

It was just unfortunate for him that he had only known him for a little over a month.

The two worked together at a local dojo. Kenshin taught swordplay, Sanosuke was in charge of hand to hand combat.

He felt like he had learned a lot about him in the time that he had known him.

Obviously nothing could have been farther from the truth.

"Would it make you feel better if I didn't call her at all?" He found himself asking, almost dreading the answer. Was it wrong to date the mother of your friend's children? Was it wrong to honestly not **care** that she was the mother of your friend's children? No matter how it was worded, it just didn't quite feel _right._ Then again though, she was definitely a special girl. At least Kenshin thought so. He had only known her for twenty minutes or so.

"If you told her you were going to call, then you had damn well better call. She doesn't date much, again I'm fairly certain that's my fault, so I'm sure it took a lot for her to even give you her number."

"This is just so surreal. I mean, I didn't even know you had kids.. And I certainly didn't mean to hit on your.." Kenshin began, but trailed off before he could finish his thought. What exactly would someone call her in a situation such as this?

"My ex, Kenshin. Two times my ex. Like I said, she's a great girl, I can't much say I blame you. But if you don't think you can handle a relationship with her then I suggest that you don't even start one. She's my best friend, and she's raising my girls. So if you're going to be around her, then you're going to have to be around them as well. And they tend to get attached to people rather easily."

"I understand, and the last thing I would want is to hurt anyone. But you have to understand too, I just met her. I don't even know if we'll get along or not. It's kind of hard for me to make a lasting commitment without knowing her, isn't it?"

"I'm not suggesting you go out and propose to her, dumbass! All I'm saying is that she's had a rough time of it lately, and she doesn't need any more hassles to bring her down."

And then suddenly it clicked, and Kenshin nodded. "You're trying to tell me not to sleep with her, aren't you?"

"Damn straight I am. I've already told you that I don't care if you two start dating. And I don't care if you sleep with her. Later. When she knows you better. When **I** know you better. Until then, unless you have a desire to become a woman, keep it in your pants. And trust me, I have spies in that house. I know everything that goes on there."

Kenshin gulped, his eyes trailing over to the two girls, who were at that moment sleeping on their father's couch. Suzume was sucking her thumb, and Ayame had her arm thrown over her sister's face. She snored lightly. The redhead didn't even bother trying to repress his smile.

"Yeah, they're cute, aren't they? Thank Kami they took after her."

Kenshin gave a good natured laugh. "Yes, they do favor Miss Kaoru quite a bit, but their hair and eyes are like yours."

"If she hears you call her Miss Kaoru she'll kill you. Which reminds me of another thing I need to warn you about. You know your job?"

"Yes.." Kenshin replied timidly, not exactly sure what his job had to do with Kaoru.

"It used to be **her **job. She quit not too long before we hired you. Actually, I guess we hired you to replace her, now that I think about it."

"I'm still not sure exactly what it is that I need to be watching out for, though. I think it's great that she practices swordsmanship. There aren't enough women that do." Kenshin replied, obviously confused.

"Heh. She swings a mean bokken."

And then Kenshin reverted back to his old standby. He blinked.

"Erm.. Sano.. was that a perverted comment?"

The other man laughed before standing up to retrieve a blanket from the back of a chair and laying it across his sleeping daughters. "Take it however you want to take it, but she's not the only one you'll have to watch out for. The girls got more than her looks. They also got her temper. Which I'm sure is something that you'll grow to know quite well in the future." Kenshin couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a ghost of a smile cross the other fighter's face at some long forgotten memory.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Sano spoke again; his voice lowered so as not to disturb the still sleeping girls. "Listen Kenshin, I'm really sorry that I didn't get to help you move into your apartment today, but Kaoru had some errands she had to run so she asked me if I would mind taking the girls a day early this weekend. I didn't really think they would get in the way though.. I guess maybe I shouldn't have let them play that extra time. Wore 'em down a bit more than I thought it would."

"Don't worry about it, Sano. The apartment will still be there tomorrow. Besides, it's been a very odd day. I'm really not in the mood to go about moving things anyway."

"Regardless, I know you've got everything packed already. It can't be a welcoming thought to know that you're going to have to go home to a house with no bed."

"I still have a couch. Besides, even if I didn't, I seriously doubt that one night on the floor would break me."

"Maybe not, but I still feel bad about it. Tell you what, why don't you just stay in the guest room for tonight? It's not like anyone else ever uses it. Well, except Kaoru, and she's hardly ever here overnight."

Kenshin felt a slight twinge at the thought of Kaoru being there overnight _period._ But he shook it off. What right did he have to get jealous? Not only had he only known her for less than a day, but he was standing in her one time fiancée's living room. Whatever they decided to do behind closed doors was their own business.

Wasn't it?

"That'd be great, Sanosuke, thanks. While I might not _mind _sleeping on the floor, far be it for me to reject a warm bed when one is offered to me."

Sano noticed the slight grimace that crossed the shorter man's face at the mention of Kaoru's overnight stays. He thought about setting the record straight that they were strictly on a friendly basis, but in the end decided against it. '_It's just too much fun to watch him squirm'._

"Come on, I'll show you where the bedroom is. I'll see if I can't find something you can sleep in too. I'm pretty sure I've still got some of Kaoru's pants here."

Another grimace.

Yep, definitely too much fun.

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"So you mean to tell me that you actually met someone?" Misao's blue eyes widened at her friend, on her face was a look of pure shock.

Kaoru gave a small sigh, "Yes, Misao, I actually met someone. And he seems sweet."

"Ah, so he's sweet is he? I'm assuming he's ugly then?"

"Misao! That's not a very nice thing to say at all! He happens to be very attractive, thank you very much!"

"Then what's wrong with him? He's not gay, is he?" Of course, Misao had never actually seen Kaoru go for the pretty boy type, but hey, it was always possible. It had been awhile, after all. Maybe she was getting desperate?

"There's not really anything wrong with him."

"Not really, huh? You don't call someone sweet unless there's _something _wrong with him."

Kaoru was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure he's a good friend of Sano's."

"**What?** Does Sano know?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure Sano knows he's a friend of his."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Misao sighed and tossed her waist length braid over her shoulder. Honestly, Kaoru could be the most obstinate girl in the world sometimes.

"I know, I know. And yeah, Sano knows it. He was standing right there when _I _figured it out." Kaoru's smile faded a bit at the memory. Today had been more than a little awkward. Not that she thought there was still anything between herself and Sanosuke, not at all. It had just been more than a little weird to get caught hitting on someone by the guy that you were supposed to marry. No matter how long ago it had occurred.

"Well?" Misao asked after a moment, her impatience getting the best of her.

"Well what?" Kaoru asked, a bit dazedly. Memory lane was often times a road best left not traveled.

"Well what did Sano say?" If Misao's eyes got any bigger they were going to pop out of her head.

"Nothing, really. I kind of split before he got the chance. Not because I think he would have minded or anything though."

"You just didn't want to hear that he didn't mind, right?"

"Don't make it sound like that, Misao! I really, honestly have no desire to get into another relationship with rooster head."

"Yeah, but just because you don't want to get into a relationship doesn't mean that you don't want him to care about you."

"He does care, Misao. That's what has always been so great about our relationship. There was never any lack of love. Sano means a lot to me, and I mean a lot to Sano. It's just not romantic anymore."

"Yeah, I know. Can't blame a girl for trying though, now can you?" Misao finished with a small frown. "I still can't believe he's not even the least bit jealous of the guy."

"Honestly, I wouldn't want him to be jealous. Jealousy only complicates things, and trust me when I say that this entire situation is complicated enough as it is."

"Isn't that the truth? Anyway, tell me about your mystery man."

"Well, his name's Kenshin…" That was as far as she got before Misao's shrill voice cut her off.

"_Himura!_ The guy you were talking about is _Himura?"_

Kaoru's eyes widened a bit. "You know him?"

"Damn skippy I know him! He's the guy that took over your spot at the dojo! I know I told you about him at least fifty times! Don't you listen to anything I say?"

"Not if I can help it. Though I do have to admit, now that you mention it, the name does sound sort of familiar."

"Well, you were right about one thing."

"What's that?"

"He's definitely hot! And he doesn't look like he's not interested in women, so.."

"Misao!"

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"See, told you I'd find something!" Sanosuke spoke, his voice cracking slightly from the laughter he was trying to hold in.

"Yes.. and I'm grateful for it. But Sano? Do they have to be pink?"

"It's either that or you can wear those little boy shorts with the hearts on them. Whichever you prefer. Personally, if it were me, I'd go for the pink sweatpants. Your call though."

"Pink it is. And what in Kami's name is a boy short anyway?"

"Ahh.. those, my friend." Sano answered, pointing to a small pair of underwear by Kenshin's feet."

"Do I even want to know why these are here?"

"Probably not." He replied with a devilish smirk. He really was too gullible sometimes. "She still stays here with the girls sometimes. It makes it easier on her. Gives her a little bit of a break. Like when they're sick or something. I'm really the only one that can give her a hand. Hence the clothes, and the underwear."

"Does she not have any family?" Kenshin found himself asking after a moment, his expression troubled.

"Well, you know Aoshi, don't you?" At the other man's nod, he continued. "Aoshi is her cousin. And she takes care of Yahiko sometimes, but other than that, she's all alone." Sano replied, his face taking on the same expression that Kenshin's had only moments before.

"Who's Yahiko?"

"He's a kid. I'm sure you'll meet him."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed a bit. That wasn't exactly the most informative information he had ever received. Then again, this was Sano they were talking about. He was beginning to think that perhaps the man couldn't be helpful if he tried.

All was silent for a moment before Kenshin spoke again, his voice infinitely quieter than it had been before. "Sano, does she normally wear this kind of underwear?"

Sano grinned again, "Hot, aren't they?"

The other man merely gave a small gulp.

"Don't worry, she doesn't always wear those."

Some of the color faded out of Kenshin's face.

"Sometimes she wears less."

"Oro?"

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A loud knock early the next morning stirred Kenshin from his slumber. He opened his eyes slowly, panic overtaking him. '_Where in Kami's name am I?'_

His panic faded after a moment though, once his still sleep fogged brain processed his surroundings. He had stayed the night at Sano's, hadn't he?

His eyes narrowed. Yes, he had. And the other man had teased him unendingly about his new found interest in a certain black haired ex kendo instructor.

Of course, had it been any other girl, he would have simply given up and backed off. It was a common fact, at least in his experience, that the more complicated a girl's past was, the more complicated her future was bound to be.

And Kaoru Kamiya evidently had one hell of a past, judging from the look of it.

Perhaps it would be best to call her and take her up on that coffee offer, though. After all, he hadn't really heard her side of the story yet. Perhaps what Sano said was the truth, and they really had parted as friends and nothing more.

Judging from the teasing he had incurred the night before, however, he wasn't so sure that that was the case.

The loud knocking sound that had woken him faded off abruptly, and Kenshin was left to wonder what exactly it had been.

He grabbed his shirt from the chair beside the bed and threw it on before opening the door and walking out into the hallway.

What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.

There in the living room, looking at least ten times as attractive as she had the day before, stood Kaoru Kamiya.

It was all Kenshin could do to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.

She wore jeans and a tank top. Nothing fancy. But it suited her. And when he said it suited her, he meant it suited her well. The tank top showed off her well toned muscles, and though he could only see her from the front, he was fairly certain that the back of her jeans looked just as good as they did from this angle.

She looked up and noticed him then, her gaze slightly confused. This quickly gave way to a smile, however, and Kenshin felt his pulse pick up a bit.

"Just couldn't wait to get into my pants, huh?" She asked with a laugh.

Kenshin turned ten shades of scarlet. '_What in Kami's name is she talking about?'_ It was then that he glanced at the floor and figured out what she had meant. Pink pants.

Kenshin Himura was standing in the middle of his friend's living room, hitting on his friend's ex girlfriend, and he was wearing pink pants.

Luckily, however, he had always been able to recover quickly, his next line leaving his mouth before his brain had even had time to think it over. "Yeah well, Sano tried to get me to get in your underwear instead, but I politely declined."

Unluckily for him, his recoveries weren't always smooth ones.

Kaoru blinked.

Kenshin looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.

And dear, helpful Sanosuke just sat there leaned against the doorframe, amusement clearly evident on his features. "If I recall correctly, I told you to stay **out **of her underwear. I merely got you into her pants and her bed, nothing more."

"Sanosuke Sagara!" Kaoru chastised lightly, but there was no anger evident in her tone, merely amusement.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Play nice. Mind if I ask what brings you to my humble abode this morning, Missy?"

"Weeeelll, a little birdie told me that you were planning to help Kenshin move today, so I thought I'd swing by to offer a hand. And Sano? I don't think you could be humble if you tried."

"Nope, you're right, I couldn't. Doesn't mean my abode can't be though. And what else, exactly, did Misao tell you?"

Kaoru blinked again. Was there something else that Misao _should _have told her? "Nothing that I can think of, why do you ask?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." He turned to Kenshin then, "Why don't you go change while we get breakfast together. No offense to you, but those pants look much better on Missy over here than they do you."

Kenshin merely turned on his heel and walked back to the bedroom mumbling something about how horrible his taste in friends was.

Kaoru waited until he was out of earshot before she erupted into a fit of laughter. "Sanosuke, you have got to be the cruelest man I have ever met!"

Sano pretended to look hurt. "And what, pray tell, did I do?"

"Did you even tell him that he's not only wearing a pair of pink pants, but he's also wearing a pair of pink pants that says 'naughty' in giant writing on the butt?"

"Nope, can't say I did. I just assumed he noticed it."

An enraged shout from the guest room elicited another bout of laughter from the both of them.

"I am **not** naughty!"

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	3. The mean right hook

Hello! Terribly sorry for the long wait, but I've had a few personal issues arise (one of which being that my brother in law moved in with us. Fun fun.) and I really couldn't help it. Regardless, if anyone's still around to read this, I do hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

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Previously on Make A Move:

Kenshin merely turned on his heel and walked back to the bedroom mumbling something about how horrible his taste in friends was.

Kaoru waited until he was out of earshot before she erupted into a fit of laughter. "Sanosuke, you have got to be the cruelest man I have ever met!"

Sano pretended to look hurt. "And what, pray tell, did I do?"

"Did you even tell him that he's not only wearing a pair of pink pants, but he's also wearing a pair of pink pants that says 'naughty' in giant writing on the butt?"

"Nope, can't say I did. I just assumed he noticed it."

An enraged shout from the guest room elicited another bout of laughter from the both of them.

"I am not naughty!"

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If Kenshin hadn't known better he would have sworn that he had intentionally been set up. Why was it that he tended to get so flustered whenever he was around Kaoru?

Of course, it wasn't like he had been around her enough to form a solid conclusion on the matter, but he was batting two for two right now.

The sound of a woman's laughter rang out from the kitchen, startling him from his reverie. His irritation faded a bit and a goofy sort of smile crossed his face before turning back to irritation again.

He found himself wondering what the other man had said to make her laugh.

And then he promptly chastised himself for being jealous of someone else, especially with the situation being as strange as it was.

He cast one final angry look at the pink pants before throwing his jeans back on and heading back to the kitchen.

The look he received upon his entry was much less confused and much more appreciative this time around. And try as he might, he just couldn't deny that he definitely enjoyed the attention. Especially since it was coming from a woman that was as attractive as Kaoru was. He blushed a bit under her gaze before chastising himself and lifting his eyes to meet hers. She gave him a warm smile and he returned it, glad that she didn't seem to have been too fazed by his earlier appearance.

Then again, it was highly possible that things such as these were normal occurrences in the Sagara household.

Though he obviously didn't know as much as he thought about Sanosuke, he knew enough about him to know that the man was probably the class clown when he was in school.

He would have to make a note to ask him at a later date.

'You could always just ask Kaoru, she was there, wasn't she?' The little voice in the back of his mind added. Kenshin was fairly certain that if that voice had possessed a face, it would be smirking at him.

"Kenshin? Earth to Kenshin, come in Kenshin." He snapped back to reality then, and found, much to his embarrassment that the look of amusement had returned to the object of his affection's face. He opened his mouth to apologize but quickly shut it again upon noticing the hand that was currently laid across his chest.

Her nail polish was pink.

"Ah.. I'm fine, sorry. I sorta spaced out for a second."

"So I noticed. Is anything wrong? If it's about the pants, I apologize. Sano can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

Her hand didn't move.

"I was just thinking.." His voice came out harsher than he wanted, and he winced a bit.

The hand finally moved, and Kenshin found that he could breathe again.

Funny. Until that moment in time he hadn't even realized he had been holding his breath.

"Okay, if you're sure you're alright…" The amusement in her eyes had died and had been replaced by a look of concern. It was at that moment that Kenshin decided that he liked her smile much more.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru. I didn't mean to sound like an ass."

"No, you were right, I really had no right to pry. Anyway, grab a chair. Sano's trying to force the girls out of bed. It's not really working too well, though, so if you want breakfast before it gets cold, now's the time." She gestured to a spot beside her at the table, which he quickly took.

"But daddy, I was sweeping!" Kenshin heard the exclamation from the other side of the apartment and couldn't help but laugh.

"Are they always this difficult to wake up?"

Kaoru nodded, chewing her food as quickly as she could before she continued, "It's a trait they got from Sano, I think. I've been known to sleep in, but that man is positively impossible to get out of bed."

Kenshin gave a good natured smile then. "You know, you really are a good cook, Kaoru."

"Ha.. You should have met me when I was seventeen. I couldn't cook worth a lick when Sano and I first moved in together. I'm sure you're well aware that Sanosuke Sagara is one of the biggest cheapskates in the world, right?" At his nod she continued, "Well, my cooking was so bad that he actually paid for me to take cooking classes."

Kenshin's eyes widened a bit. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

She laughed again, blue eyes sparkling. "Oh, I didn't think it was that bad then, mind you. But do you know that I managed to burn boiled eggs once?"

He had been right. It was much much better when she smiled.

Of course, as all small talk does, the conversation fizzled out right about then, leaving a semi-awkward silence in its wake. The silence continued for several minutes until a small cry from the living room broke it.

"Sankontessou!"

Kenshin blinked.

Kaoru covered her beet red face with her hand.

Sanosuke screamed.

And two little girls died laughing.

"Kaoru Kamiya! I swear to all that is holy that if you let them watch one more episode of Inuyasha I'm going to Sankontessou you. Do you understand me?" Sano's muffled voice came from the living room. Despite the menacing wording, it did little to make up for the fact that only a moment before he had been screaming like a little girl.

It was enough to make Kaoru double over laughing.

Kenshin settled for merely chuckling. Not that the situation wasn't entirely hilarious, mind you. It was just that he had seen the way that Sanosuke fought. While he was fairly certain that he could still take him, he wouldn't put money on it. Besides, he was also fairly certain that fighting with Sano would involve pain.

Kenshin Himura had never been a big fan of pain.

It was at that moment that the man in question entered the kitchen, two brown haired girls slung over his shoulders.

Kaoru, whose laughter had been reduced to mere giggles at this point, did the best that she could to get an intelligible sentence out between them. "Ah.. Sano.. erm… W-where did she get you this time?"

"The same damn place she gets me every time, Kaoru."

Kenshin winced. He could only imagine what place the other man was referring to.

"You know, with all the ball shots you've taken in your lifetime, you're lucky you ever managed to have children at all." Kaoru replied, still desperately trying to reign in what was left of her laughter.

"Luck has nothing to do with it, missy. I'm just damn good at what I do." He flashed a quick grin to Kenshin then, before depositing his cargo into their seats and proceeding to fill their plates.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed. Was he actually trying to piss him off?

Kaoru, however, just took it all in stride. She had seen that grin, and she was more than aware of what he was trying to do. After all, he did it every time she got interested in someone (which wasn't a lot, mind you., but it did happen on occasion). "Yes, Sano.. I remember very well how good you were. Of course, just in case I didn't, we could always just go ask.. what was her name again? Sakura?"

That shut him up.

Kenshin smiled victoriously. She was good. Damn good.

The other man gave her a glare.

The rest of the meal was carried out in relative quiet, with the exception of the occasional chatter between the two youngest members of the group.

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After the dishes had been cleared, the group made their way back into the living room.

Kaoru took to shoving a few items that she would need for the girls into a backpack.

Sano busied himself with tying Ayame's shoes.

And Kenshin did the best he could to pretend that the atmosphere in the once cheery home hadn't gone from warm and inviting to cold and bitter in less than two seconds flat. At first he had thought that the Sakura comment was merely meant to shut up the other man, and he was fairly certain that it had been meant that way, at least at first.

Any idiot could see that there was obviously some bad blood there, though. He was definitely going to have to ask Misao for her version of the story. Either that, or he would have to ask Kaoru, and judging from the way that she was abusing the socks and tshirts that she was currently cramming into her bag, he wasn't sure that Sanosuke's previous transgressions would be the best subject to bring up around her.

At least not with Sano around. Or anything else that resembled him, for that matter.

He cast a glance at the man in question then, eyes widening slightly as he realized that he was looking back at him, rather intently.

"You sure you know what you're getting into asking her out, Kenshin?"

Kenshin merely blinked in reply, unsure as to where he was going with that question.

Sanosuke turned to Kaoru then, who had moved on from her abuse of said clothing and had taken to examining her nails instead. He plastered a large smile on his face before continuing. In hindsight, Kenshin probably should have seen what was coming next.

"Cause she can be a real BITCH at times."

Poor Sanosuke never saw the punch that knocked him out.

Kenshin winced a bit. "Erm.. should I get some ice?"

"Let the fool lay there. He'll come around eventually."

Kenshin decided to take her word for it.

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Yes, yes, I know. Far too short, not enough goodies. Yell at me later though, because things are about to get interesting.

And no, you need not worry, Kaoru and Sanosuke will still be on relatively good terms, but his "indiscretions" are still a bit of an open wound to Kaoru. But more on that later.

Thanks for reading!


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